Since the earliest civilisations, measuring the quantity we now know as mass has been paramount. Today, measurements of mass and related quantities - which include force, pressure, hardness, density of materials, viscosity, volumes and gravitational acceleration at the earth's surface - enable essential results to be obtained in different fields and find application in commerce, industry and support of technological experimentation.

To ensure the highest possible accuracy in measurements, special bodies, namely the National Metrology Institutes, that produce and disseminate the standards of International System units are necessary.

Also, through their experts, these Institutes participate in international working groups of the Consultative Committee on Mass and Quantities (CCM).